There are few greater pleasures in life than a towering, impossibly tall slice of carrot cake layered with cream cheese frosting. Maybe a little caramel or whipped cream or both on the side for good measure. Whether made at home or served in a restaurant, that is one of the most classic desserts and completes just about any meal.
But we don’t always have time to make a giant cake with a million components, nor do with have the room in our stomachs for all those layers. And sometimes we’re on the move and need something portable.
This is when blondies come in. They are easy to make, can be cut in any shape or size, and they are easy to eat any place, any time.
I’ve made a lot of blondies in my time, but I’ve never mashed them up with carrot cake until now. And it’s about time.
Think of all the flavors in carrot cake. Warm spices. Crunchy nuts. Plump raisins. Earthy carrots themselves. Okay, so we had to give up the cream cheese frosting, but do you see the texture in these bad boys??? That incredibly dense, rich, chewy goodness is worth the sacrifice. And if you swap the ice cream I’m showing for cream cheese frosting, I won’t tell.
Really, though without the frosting, the flavors in the blondies totally shine through in ways I don’t typically notice in carrot cake. And again, that texture. Blondies are all about texture and these brought it major.
Make blondies and serve them however you want. Maybe turn them into a layered carrot cake. Then dive right in.
Paleo Carrot Cake Blondies
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 10 blondies 1x
Ingredients
1 1/3 cups paleo flour blend (2 cups almond flour, 1 ¼ cups tapioca starch, ¾ cup coconut flour)
1 teaspoon ground ginger
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
¼ teaspoon black pepper
½ cup olive oil
½ cup coconut sugar
1 large egg
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
½ cup toasted walnuts
1 ½ cups coarsely grated carrot
½ cup raisins
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Oil a 9 inch round cake pan.
In a large bowl, whisk together the oil, sugar, egg, and vanilla, followed by the flour and spices. Once a thick batter forms, stir in the walnuts, carrot, and raisins.
Pour into the prepared pan and bake about 20 minutes until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few crumbs. Don’t overbake; they should be dense and chewy. Serve warm or cool completely in the pan. Blondies may be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. Blondies may also be frozen, wrapped in parchment and foil, and placed in a zipper bag for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature about an hour or in the microwave about 1 minute.
Notes
Recipe adapted from Good Housekeeping
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
What an interesting idea — haven’t had carrot cake blondies. But they sound pretty good. Nifty recipe — thanks.
Can’t go wrong with carrot cake. Thanks, John!
Oh, I so want a piece! I printed this recipe and one day I will make it even though I am not usually a baker. Remember the reason I love your flourless triple peanut butter cookies recipe is because it is so easy!!! May take me a few tries to get this right.
★★★★★
Oh, no, you’ll have this one down on the first try! It’s easy and so tasty.